Featured performing and visual arts programs of the month

April showers bring an unexpected crop of extraordinary college arts programs. Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University offers unique local and global opportunities in New York City and London, while The Conservatory of Music of Brooklyn College attracts a diverse student body with a large international presence. The aim of the Bard College Dance Program is to provide liberal arts with optimal student growth in technique, composition, and artistic voice, and Rhode Island School of Design continues to be one of the best-known colleges of art and design in the U.S.

Theater: Rutgers Mason Gross School of the Arts

The Theater Department at Mason Gross School of the Arts provides an in-depth, highly demanding program. The training consists of intensive studio classes, a rigorous core curriculum, and fully supported productions. Core curriculum courses are offered to expand students’ views of theater such as Global Theater, the Aesthetics of Space, Clothing and Culture, Theater History, and the 20th Century Avant-Garde. Rutgers provides students with showcase opportunities, camera and voice-over training, and intensive workshops on practical business practices. In the third year, students travel abroad to Shakespeare’s Globe in London to further develop classical skills and gain broader perspectives. In addition to presenting acting students and designers’ portfolios in New York City, Rutgers co-produces professional projects with noted regional and Off-Broadway theaters. The proximity to Manhattan enables the school to retain an exceptional faculty of working professionals while giving students a direct connection to the profession through internships and collaborations. Visit the website

Music: The Conservatory of Music of Brooklyn College

One of New York City’s leading institutions in the training of musicians, The Conservatory of Music of Brooklyn College offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in performance, composition, musicology, and music education. Students study with a distinguished faculty of prominent performers, composers, musicologists, theorists and music-education specialists. More than 150 public concerts on campus every year span the range from jazz, chamber, choral, and contemporary music to operas and symphonies. Conservatory students work with artists and scholars in film and video, theater, television and radio, interactive media arts (PIMA) and other fields. The Walter Gerboth Music Library is among the finest in the City University of New York (CUNY) and helps attract a diverse student body with a large international presence. Many illustrious alumni have become major contributors to music — from studio-recording musicians to teachers, music librarians, performers, and composers. Visit the website

Dance: Bard College

In the Bard College Dance Program the focus is on dance and choreography as performing art with an interdisciplinary scope. Students are exposed to areas of inquiry that represent the broader context in which the art form exists, in and outside of the arts. Dancers are prepared for the versatility and integration necessary to face the questions: Where will dance go next? What will the next dance revolution look like, and where will it come from? A dance artist’s growth is a product of the simultaneous development of three interdependent factors: technique, composition, and artistic voice. It is the Dance Program’s aim to provide this threefold development of the student dance artist within the context of a broad-based liberal arts education. The faculty represents a breadth of professional experience, expertise, and engagement with the dance world. The 110,000-square-foot Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Bard College houses two theaters and four rehearsal studios for dance and theater. Visit the website

Visual Arts: Rhode Island School of Design

Rhode Island School of Design (or “RIZ-dee” for the acronym RISD) is one of the oldest and best-known colleges of art and design in the country. Each year approximately 2,300 students from around the world pursue a creative, studio-based education at RISD, which offers rigorous bachelor’s and master’s degree programs in 19 architecture, design, fine arts and art education majors. The college is located in Providence, Rhode Island, which offers its own vibrant art scene and is conveniently located between two other major cultural centers: Boston and New York. From its inception in 1877, RISD has stood out as a leader in art and design education. The mission of Rhode Island School of Design, through its college and museum, is to educate its students and the public in the creation and appreciation of works of art and design, to discover and transmit knowledge and to make lasting contributions to a global society through critical thinking, scholarship and innovation. Visit the website

Succeed with specialized college arts consulting from the former college deans of admissions at ArtsBridge. Learn how to refine and match your talents to the best college arts environment for you, and receive personalized guidance in Theater, Music, Dance, or Visual Arts.